Damage localization for beam structure by moving load

A static algorithm is presented in this article for damage localization in beam structures by moving load. Central to the damage localization approach is the combination of the moving load technique and the pure bending theory. The first advantage of the presented algorithm is that only a few sensors are needed in the static test. The second advantage of the presented algorithm is that only the deflection parameters of the current structure are needed in damage localization process. The proposed method is applied to a simple supported beam and its feasibility is verified using damage simulations. It was found that the defect location can be identified by inspecting the sudden increase in the curvature of the deflection curve for the beam. The results showed that the presented algorithm is effective on the localization of single damage or multiple damages in the beam structure without baseline data.